Rush of Petitions Expected as Green-Card Measure Expires

Legal residents and U.S. employers seeking to gain lawful status for undocumented relatives or employees should file petitions with the Immigration and Naturalization Service by midnight tonight.

That is the urgent recommendation experts are sending to the immigrant community in California and elsewhere.

INS offices nationwide--including the office in Los Angeles at 300 N. Los Angeles St.--will remain open until midnight tonight to accommodate an expected rush of 11th-hour filings. The agency reports growing lines recently.

Officials stressed that this was the final deadline for the controversial provision known as Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. A divided Congress extended the measure several times before agreeing to kill it as of midnight.

The provision allows illegal immigrants who are eligible for permanent U.S. residence--because of approved visa petitions by close relatives or employers--to complete the green-card application process in the United States by paying a $1,000 fee.

Without the provision, applicants would have to complete matters at U.S. consulates abroad. Under new laws that went into effect last year, many could be barred from reentering the United States for up to 10 years if required to leave.

Illegal immigrants who have petitions filed on their behalf by today should retain their eligibility to finish the process in the United States--even if their green cards are not available for years. However, officials stress that illegal immigrants are not shielded from deportation until their green card applications have been approved.